Officials of the European Union (EU) say that restrictive measures against Kosovo will be lifted when EU member states and not Kosovo politicians decide on it.
“It is up to the member states to consider the situation and then decide together with the European institutions whether to lift the measures or not. I can only confirm that the talks are still ongoing, and I can remind you that the measures have not been lifted yet,” said EU spokesperson, Peter Stano.
This comment by the Brussels spokesperson comes after the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti stated that all EU requirements for the lifting of punitive measures against Kosovo have been met.
According to Stan, the decision on the possible lifting of restrictive measures requires a wider consensus within the EU.
“There are measures that have been introduced in Kosovo for specific reasons. When the member states decide to do so, and the reasons no longer exist, they will decide to lift the measures again, gradually or in their entirety. But this is not only related to one incident or one event,” said spokesperson Stano.
In June of last year, the EU introduced measures against Kosovo, after the Kosovo authorities ignored requests to de-escalate the situation in municipalities with a Serbian majority in the north.
The punitive measures imposed by the EU on Kosovo refer to the temporary suspension of working groups for the Stabilization and Association Agreement, the non-invitation of Kosovo to high-level meetings and the suspension of bilateral visits.
Also, the funds for Kosovo, which were planned by the Investment Framework and Pre-Accession Assistance Instruments – IPA 2024, were canceled.
Several diplomatic sources told in Brussels at the end of April that the majority of EU member states are in favor of lifting restrictive measures for Kosovo. The only difference between member states was whether the measures should be lifted immediately or gradually, Radio Slobodna Evropa reports.
E.Dz.
